Macquarie Law School has produced the highest number of finalists in the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards 2024 with a total of 25 nominations. This is the second consecutive year Macquarie University has topped the list.

The 30 Under 30 Awards celebrate and recognise the outstanding work and impact of the brightest up-and-coming Australian legal professionals. A total of 284 finalists were chosen from 625 submissions. They’ll battle it out for awards across 30 individual categories, including:

  • Criminal
  • Cyber Security
  • Employment and Workplace Relations, Health and Safety
  • Family Law
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Real Estate.

"Macquarie Law School is thrilled to have the highest number of nominees for the second year in a row,” says Professor Lise Barry, Dean of Macquarie Law School. “It is a testament to the excellent teaching and research environment at Macquarie. We have always emphasised teaching law in its social, economic and political context, and believe this gives our students the edge when it comes to real world application of their legal skills.

“We encourage independent thinking and problem solving in our assessments and, through our award-winning PACE program, providing students with professional experience in advance of graduation. This means our graduates are ready to hit the ground running and set up to meet their full potential in their careers."

Alicia Gormly (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honours)) is a lawyer at Ashurst and one of the 25 Macquarie graduates named among the finalists. “It was such an honour to be named a finalist in the competition, trade and regulatory category. It is certainly a testament to my supportive network at Ashurst as well as the network and incredible opportunities present at Macquarie University.

“It was at Macquarie where I first had the opportunity to study microeconomic principles that underpin the area of law I work in now. I was also able to study competition and consumer law as an elective and write my Honours thesis in this area. This no doubt accelerated my understanding and technical ability to propel me forward into being recognised in these awards. I'm very proud to represent Macquarie University in the legal industry and even prouder that so many Macquarie graduates have been recognised this year.”

Winners will be announced at a black-tie gala ceremony at The Star in Sydney on 7 March 2024.